Under the Articles of Confederation, why couldn't the central government stop Shays' Rebellion quickly?

• A. It wasn't allowed to raise an army
• B. It lacked funds
• C. It faced foreign invasion
• D. It forgot the rebellion

Answer: (A)

The central issue tested is the limited powers of the national government under the Articles of Confederation, specifically its inability to raise a national military force. The Articles allowed Congress to request troops and money from the states but forbade it from coercing states to comply or from levying taxes itself. Because there was no authority to raise a standing army or compel funding, the national government could not quickly muster federal troops to stop Shays’ Rebellion. Instead, Massachusetts had to organize and pay for its own militia to respond. This weakness—no power to raise or fund a national army—made a rapid federal intervention impossible and helped spur the move to a stronger framework in the Constitution.